Career Corner - First-time Manager

Career Corner: A Monthly Executive Search Firm News Article Series.

Stepping Into the Role of a First-time ManagerJune 1st, 2006

Now that you’ve landing the management position
you’ve been working toward you need to reassess
the landscape of your new role, and what it means to
existing relationships with your colleagues, says Barrie
Gross, Esq., of AllBusiness.com.

Setting new boundaries with coworkers is an essential
first step in your new position. You can maintain existing
friendships, but you need to establish your authority
and credibility as a manager, Gross says.

“It’s not about becoming demanding and asserting
yourself in aggressive ways. Rather, it’s taking
seriously your need to refocus your thinking so that
you position yourself as a leader deserving of the respect
of others,” Gross said.

Gross recommends that new managers have a meeting with
their own superior and clearly establish the role you
will plan within the company and what is expected of
you in your new management position. Be clear on the
following:

Your own manager’s expectations
of you in your new job;

The department’s
strategic plans, both long and short term;

Your
department’s tactical requirements;

Your manager’s perception of the quality of
the work in your department and where he or she thinks
there need to be changes or improvements;

An action plan for implementing your management
and producing results;

What resources and tools your manager thinks would
be advantageous for your own development

Next, Gross recommends sitting down with each member
of your department and assessing what is working and
what is not before implementing changes too quickly.

“Successful managers engage in open and ongoing
communications. And it doesn’t matter if the issue
is company wide, department specific or with regard to
a specific employee. When you take the time to communicate,
you create an environment of trust and respect. Employees
who feel valued will give back to you more than you ask,” Gross
advises.

Including your former colleagues in the transition and
planning process of what it will mean to work for you
as the new manager will benefit everyone.